I currently own several Rugers, 1 Buckmark, 1 S&W model 41 and lots of High Standards. I can't write about the S&W A1, I have never owned one. Out of the group the Ruger MKII will provide you the the lowest maintenance and overall shooting pleasure. Why? It requires NO parts for maintenance, will shoot ANY ammo you put throught it, built to last many lifetimes. The trigger is good out of the box but can be made better with a trigger job or trigger replacement using Volquartsen parts. I opted to polish my Ruger sear and had great results; a 2LB trigger pull down from a factory 4 LB. The only thing to keep in mind is IF you ever decided to go that route Ruger will not replace your sear if it is messed up.

The Buckmark is a nice pistol and has a better trigger out of the box than the
Ruger and can be improved by simply removing the sear spring and turning it over. Instant trigger pull reduction and is very smooth. After polishing my Ruger sear both have a nice trigger and it is difficult to discern a noticeable difference. The Buckmark does not feel as durable as the Ruger and requires a routine slide buffer replacement. Also, Ruger MKII's are holding their value very well and in the SS models are going up in value.

Smith & Wesson model 41 - Extremely nice .22, great trigger out of the box, very accurate and very re-sellable. Many competition shooters use a model 41, I take mine to the range often and enjoy shooting it alot. The down side is they can be pricey.

Now, IMO, to the cream of the crop. High Stardards have the BEST trigger of any sub $1000 .22LR pistol and probably more than many over that price point. Some folks may talk unfavorably of them because of the fact that High Standards do not have a feed ramp on the barrel, the bullets are fed into the barrel by the magazine. With that said, once the lips of the magazine are properly adjusted there are no problems and the smile never goes away. A Citation ML series High Standard can be had for $550 - $600, a little more than a Ruger MKII SS. The High Standard does require standard velocity ammo, CCI Standard Velocity (SV) runs around 6 cents per round, bulk .22 ammo runs around 3 cents. Rugers and Buckmarks will shoot anything, not HS. I mainly shoot .22's anymore, I never take my Buckmark, I sometimes take a Ruger, I often take my S&W..... I always take a High Standard. Hope that helps. Good Luck.

This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.

If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.

This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.